Archive for the ‘Faith and Works’ Tag
Above: The First Paragraph of the Shema
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 119:1-16 (LBW) or Psalm 119:121-128 (LW)
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28-34 (35-37)
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Lord, when the day of wrath comes
we have no hope except in your grace.
Make us so to watch for the last days
that the consumation of our hope may be
the joy of the marriage feast of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 29
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O Lord, we pray that the visitation of your grace
may so cleanse our thoughts and minds
that your Son Jesus, when he shall come,
may find us a fit dwelling place;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 89
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Jesus knew the tradition of Rabbi Hillel, as he proved in Mark 12:29-31. Christ stood within his Jewish tradition and within the school of Hillel, in particular. So, the Christian tradition of pitting Jesus against Judaism has always been erroneous.
After Rabbi Hillel quoted the same verses Jesus eventually quoted also, Hillel said:
The rest is commentary. God and learn it.
That ethos permeates Psalm 119, in which the Torah refers to divine instruction, with the Law incorporated into it. Traditional Christian disregard for the Law of Moses–a subsequent theological development–contradicts Psalm 119 and Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
Deuteronomy 6:1-9 drips with hindsight, irony, and melancholy. The author, reflecting centuries after the time in the wilderness, understood what had transpired in time and in Jewish folk religion, as opposed to Jewish priestly religion. This author, consistent with Deuteronomistic theology, affirmed that collective and national disaster was the inevitable result of this pattern.
As Christianity emerged from its Jewish roots, Christian theology developed along divergent paths. Part of the church, consistent with Judaism, never developed the theology of Original Sin and the Fall of Man, with the ensuing corruption of human nature. Augustinian theology, which postdates the Epistle to the Hebrews by centuries, could not have informed that document. The author of Hebrews–perhaps St. Apollos, although Origen wrote that only God knew the author’s identity–affirmed that Christ is the timeless, sinless high priest who covers sins and intercedes for sinners.
So, regardless of one’s opinion of Augustinian theology and the role of the Law of Moses, one can frolic in the good news that God is not chomping on the bit to throw lightning bolts at anyone. Christ intercedes for us. Do we even notice, though?
I, without minimizing or denying the importance of works in moral terms, choose not to walk the Pelagian path. Salvation is a process of grace, and God is in charge of the process. I also affirm Single Predestination, so some people sit on the chosen list. How one responds to grace remains an individual decision, with individual responsibility. Yet grace surrounds even this situation. The longer I live, the less inclined I am to think of any people as belonging in Hell. Matters of salvation and damnation are in the purview of God. I am not God. Neither are you, O reader.
We–like the author of Deuteronomy 6:1-9, possess hindsight. We–like the author of Deuteronomy 6:1-9–also live in something called the present. Therefore, we can have only so much hindsight. And even the most perceptive human hindsight is…human. God knows far more than we do.
Yet we can live according to love and mere decency. This is a certain way to embody divine love, honor God and human dignity, and get into trouble with some conventionally pious people and sometimes with legal authorities.
Nevertheless, this is one standard Jesus upheld in Mark 12:28-34. The Golden Rule should never be controversial, but it frequently is.
Our works matter morally. May we, by grace, make them count for as much good as possible.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 11, 2023 COMMON ERA
THE THIRTY-THIRD DAY OF EASTER
THE FEAST OF HENRY KNOX SHERRILL, PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
THE FEAST OF BARBARA ANDREWS, FIRST FEMALE MINISTER IN THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH, 1970
THE FEAST OF SAINT GJON KODA, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1947
THE FEAST OF JOHN JAMES MOMENT, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTEO RICCI, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHÊÔ LÊ VAN GAM, VIETNAMESE ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR, 1847
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan, by József Molnár
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Genesis 12:1-8
Psalm 105:4-11
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
John 4:5-26 (27-30, 39-42)
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Heavenly Father, it is your glory always to have mercy.
Bring back all who have erred and strayed from your ways;
lead them again to embrace in faith
the truth of your Word and hold it fast;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
or
God our Father, your Son welcomed
an outcast woman because of her faith.
Give us faith like hers,
that we also may trust only in our Love for us
and may accept one another as we have been accepted by you;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 18
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O God, whose glory is always to have mercy,
be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways,
and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith
to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word;
through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 34
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I grew up with a stereotype of Second Temple Judaism. I learned that the Judaism of Christ’s time was a legalistic faith with works-based righteousness. I learned a lie.
As E. P. Sanders thoroughly documented in his seminal work, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977), Second Temple Judaism taught Covenantal Nomism. Salvation came by the grace of being born Jewish. The maintenance of that salvation was a matter of habitually keeping the moral mandates in the Law of Moses. The failure to do so resulted in dropping out of the covenant. St. Paul’s objection to Second Temple Judaism was that it was not Christianity. For the Apostle, the death and resurrection of Jesus changed everything.
The Law of Moses, which postdated Abraham, defined the lines one should not cross. “Do this, not that,” was necessary guidance. The application of timeless principles to culturally-specific circumstances was essential.
It remains so. Unfortunately, many devout people fall into legalism by failing to recognize the difference between timeless principles and culturally-specific examples.
Faith, for St. Paul the Apostle, was inherently active. He dictated, in Greek translated into English:
For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
–Romans 3:28, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
The author of the Letter of James defined faith differently. He understood faith as intellectual assent to a proposition. Therefore, he reminded his audience that faith without works is dead (2:17) then wrote that Abraham’s works justified the patriarch (2:21f):
See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
–James 2:24, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
Despite the superficial discrepancy between Romans and James, no disagreement exists. When people use the same word but define it differently, they may seem to disagree when they agree.
Or justification may not be a factor at all.
Consider a different translation, O reader. David Bentley Hart, The New Testament: A Translation (2017) is a literal version that, in the words of its Eastern Orthodox translator, “provokes Protestants.” Hart renders Romans 3:28 as:
For we reckon a man as vindicated by faithfulness, apart from observances of the Law.
“Justified” becomes “vindicated,” and “works” become “observances.” Then we turn to James 2:24:
You see that a human being is made righteous by works, and not by faith alone.
“Justified” becomes “made righteous.”
Justification is a legal term. “Vindicated” and “made righteous” are not. That is a crucial distinction. I acknowledge the existence of the matter. Nevertheless, the point about using the same word and understanding it differently holds in both interpretations.
The reading from John 4 has become the subject of much misinterpretation, too. For nearly two millennia, a plethora of Christian exegetes have sullied the reputation of the Samaritan woman at the well. Yet Jesus never judged her. And his conversation with her was the longest one recorded in the canonical Gospels.
Jesus violated two major social standards in John 4. He spoke at length with a Samaritan and a woman he had not previously met. Jesus was not trying to be respectable. He had faith in the Samaritan woman at the well, who reciprocated.
For reasons I cannot fathom, God seems to have faith in people. My opinion of human nature is so low as to be subterranean. Observing the irresponsible behavior of many people (especially government officials who block policies intended to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic) confirms my low opinion of human nature. Yet God seems to have faith in people.
May we reciprocate. And may our deeds and words be holy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT CORNELIUS THE CENTURION
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Adapted from this post
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READING THE GENERAL EPISTLES, PART III
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James 2:1-26
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Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
nor crush the needy at the gate;
For the LORD will defend their cause,
and will plunder those who plunder them.
–Proverbs 22:22-23, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
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If I were inclined toward theft, I would steal from the wealthy, not the poor, for the same reason Willie Sutton (1901-1980) robbed banks:
That’s where the money is.
Robbing the poor is counter-productive. Yet many tax codes do just that; they fall more heavily on the poor than on the wealthy, in percentage of income. The poor cannot game the system, but the wealthy can.
James 2:1-18 reminds me of Proverbs 22:22-23, which I hear read before James 2:1-18 every Proper 18, Year B, in The Episcopal Church. Both passages speak of proper and improper attitudes toward the poor.
Do not curry favor with the rich, we read. James 2:1-13 refers to its context. One may envision a rich man–a Roman nobleman–clad in a toga and wearing a gold ring. Only a member of that class had the sight to dress in that way. Such a man was also seeking political office. To curry favor with such a man was to seek the benefits he could bestow.
Yet members of the wealthy class also dragged Christians into courts of law. If the rich man in question was on the bad side of Emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96), the Christian congregation allied with that wealthy man suffered imperial wrath, too.
Recall James 1:27, O reader: Care for the widows and orphans, and keep oneself uncontaminated from the world.
God has decreed the poor the most valuable people (1 Corinthians 1:27). Jesus taught that the poor will inherit the Kingdom of God (Luke 6:20). The Gospels teach that the first will be last, the last will be first, and those serve are the greatest. God disregards and contradicts human social hierarchies.
The audience of the Epistle of James consisted of Jewish Christians, marginalized within their Jewish tradition. They knew about the Law of Moses and its ethical demand to take care of the less fortunate. Apparently, some members of that audience had not acted in accordance with those common commandments.
St. Paul the Apostle addressed Gentiles. The author of the Epistle of James addressed Jews. St. Paul understood faith and works to be a package deal, hence justification by faith. The author of the Epistle of James used “faith” narrowly, to refer to intellectual assent. Therefore, he wrote of justification by works. These two authors arrived at the same point after departing from different origins. They both affirmed the importance of faithful actions.
We read of two scriptural examples–the near-sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19) and the hospitality of Rahab the prostitute (Joshua 2:1-23). I stand by my criticism of Abraham in Genesis 22. I refer you, O reader, to follow the germane tags, if you are inclined to do so.
None of that detracts from the summary of the faith-works case in the Epistle of James:
So just as the body without a spirit is dead, so faith is dead without deeds.
–2:26, Helen Barrett Montgomery, Centenary Translation of the New Testament (1924)
That theme continues, in another context, in the next chapter.
The allure of status is strong; even Christians are not necessarily immune to its appeal. The ultimate status that really matters, though, is heir of God. No earthly political power has any say over that status. Another germane status is bearer of the image of God. All people hold that status inherently. If we really believe that, we will treat each other accordingly.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST, APOSTLE AND MARTYR
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Above: The Last Judgment, by Fra Angelico
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Genesis 19:1-26 or Ruth 3
Psalm 142
Revelation 20:11-15
John 14:15-31
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NSFW Alert: “Feet” in Ruth 3 are not feet. No, they are genitals. The Hebrew Bible contains euphemisms. In the case of Ruth 3, we have a scene that is unfit for inclusion in a book of Bible stories for children.
The Reverend Jennifer Wright Knust offers this analysis of the Book of Ruth:
To the writer of Ruth, family can consist of an older woman and her beloved immigrant daughter-in-law, women can easily raise children on their own, and men can be seduced if it serves the interests of women.
—Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contractions About Sex and Desire (2011), 33
Speaking or writing of interpretations you may have read or heard, O reader, I turn to Genesis 19. Open an unabridged concordance of the Bible and look for “Sodom.” Then read every verse listed. You will find that the dominant criticism of the people of Sodom was that they were arrogant and inhospitable. The willingness to commit gang rape against angels, men, and women seems inhospitable to me.
The author of Psalm 142 described the current human reality. That author descried Christ’s reality in John 14:15-31. Christ was about to die terribly. Yet that same Christ was victorious in Revelation 20.
The standard of judgment in Revelation 20:14 may scandalize many Protestants allergic to any hint of works-based righteousness:
…and every one was judged according to the way in which he had lived.
—The Jerusalem Bible (1966)
This is not a new standard in the Bible. It exists in the Hebrew Bible. Matthew 25:31-46 its people over the head, so to speak, with this standard. The Letter of James keeps hitting people over the head with it for five chapters. Deeds reveal creeds. The standard of divine judgment in Revelation 20:14 makes sense to me.
So, what do I believe? What are my creeds? What are your creeds, really? I refer not to theological abstractions, but to lived faith. Theological abstractions matter, too. (I am not a Pietist.) Yet lived faith matters more. Do we live according to the love of God? God seems to approve of doing that. Do we hate? God seems to disapprove of doing that.
As St. Paul the Apostle insisted, faith and works are a package deal. The definition of faith in the Letter of James differs from the Pauline definition. Faith in James is intellectual. Therefore, joining faith with works is essential, for faith without works is dead. In Pauline theology, however, faith includes works. If one understands all this, one scotches any allegation that the Letter of James contradicts Pauline epistles.
Deeds reveal creeds. If we value one another, we will act accordingly. If we recognize immigrants as people who bear the image of God, we will resist the temptation of xenophobia, et cetera. Knowing how to act properly on our creeds may prove challenging sometimes. Practical consideration may complicate matters. Political actions may or may not be the most effective methods to pursue.
By grace, may we–collectively and individually–act properly, so that our deeds may reveal our creeds, to the glory of God and for the benefit of our fellow human beings.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 28, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT AND HIS PUPIL, SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
THE FEAST OF DANIEL J. SIMUNDSON, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HENRY AUGUSTINE COLLINS, ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BARNBY, ANGLICAN CHURCH MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SOMERSET CORRY LOWRY, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2021/01/28/devotion-for-proper-24-year-d-humes/
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Above: The Pool of Bethesda
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Zephaniah 1:1-18 or Proverbs 25:6-22
Psalm 119:73-77, 103-105
1 Timothy 6:9-21
John 5:1-18
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Idols abound. They include wealth, power, prestige, and foreign religions. Even the most well-meaning people are vulnerable to these temptations.
As we read in 1 Timothy 6, we should be rich in good deeds. As we read in Psalm 119, we should delight in the Law of God. And, as even much of Second Temple Judaism affirmed, performing a good deed on the Sabbath is acceptable.
Those who criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath in John 5:16f seemed not to have cared about that final detail. Sabbath laws were flexible in Second Temple Judaism, or at least in portions thereof. There were schools of Judaism. And, within each school, personal agendas informed how some people responded and reacted to various deeds on the Sabbath.
None of this should surprise us–especially Gentiles. I recall a saying from my formative years (as a United Methodist) in southern Georgia, U.S.A., in the Bible Belt:
There are Baptists, then there are Baptists.
So, may we lay aside the stereotype of Second Temple Judaism as a legalistic religion with works-based righteousness. May we do so as we follow the advice (from 1 Timothy 6) to be rich in good works. After all, one knows a tree by its fruits.
We can take nothing with us when we die. We can, at that time, however, leave a legacy of faithful, active love. We can leave a legacy of trust in God, love of God, and love of our fellow human beings. We can leave the world better than we found it. We can leave this life rich in good deeds.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 4, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON, FOUNDRESS OF THE AMERICAN SISTERS OF CHARITY
THE FEAST OF FELIX MANZ, FIRST ANABAPTIST MARTYR, 1527
THE FEAST OF SAINTS GREGORY OF LANGRES, TERTICUS OF LANGRES, GALLUS OF CLERMONT, GREGORY OF TOURS, AVITUS I OF CLERMONT, MAGNERICUS OF TRIER, AND GAUGERICUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF JOHANN LUDWIG FREYDT, GERMAN MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND EDUCATOR
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Adapted from these posts:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/devotion-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/devotion-for-proper-7-year-d-humes/
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Above: Saint Bartholomew, by Antonio Veneziano
Image in the Public Domain
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Amos 5:6-15 or Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 115:12-18
1 Timothy 2:1-15
John 1:43-51
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Without getting lost on a side trip through cultural context in 1 Timothy 2, I focus on the core, unifying theme this week: We reap what we sow.
Now they must eat the fruit of their own way,
and with their own devices be glutted.
For the self-will of the simple kills them,
the smugness of fools destroys them.
But he who obeys me dwells in security,
in peace, without fear of harm.
–Proverbs 1:33, The New American Bible (1991)
The crucifixion of Jesus, the blood of the martyrs, and the suffering of the righteous contradicts the last two lines. O, well. The Book of Proverbs is excessively optimistic sometimes. The Book of Ecclesiastes corrects that excessive optimism.
Righteousness is no guarantee against suffering in this life. Nevertheless, we will reap what we sow. Some of the reaping must wait until the afterlife, though.
The New Testament readings point to Jesus, as they should. 1 Timothy gets into some cultural details that do not reflect the reality of Athens, Georgia, in December 2020. I denounce the male chauvinism evident in 1 Timothy 1:9-15. That sexism is of its time and place. I focus instead on God desiring that people find salvation. They do not, of course. Many of them are like the disobedient people in Amos 5 and Proverbs 1.
The divine mandate of economic justice present in Amos 5 remains relevant. It is a mandate consistent with the teachings of Jesus and the ethos of Second Temple Judaism. That divine mandate, built into the Law of Moses, is crucial in Covenantal Nomism. According to Covenantal Nomism, salvation is via grace–birth into the covenant. One drops out of the covenant by consistently and willfully neglecting the ethical demands of the covenant.
In other words, damnation is via works and salvation is via grace.
The reading from John 1 requires some attempt at an explanation. The parts of John 1:35-43 that need to be clear are clear. But, after consulting learned commentaries, I still have no idea what amazed St. Bartholomew/Nathanael the Apostle about Jesus seeing him under a fig tree. I recall having read very educated guesses, though. The crucial aspect of that story is the call to follow Jesus. Also, John 1:43 links Jacob’s Ladder/Staircase/Ramp (Genesis 28:10-17) to the crucifixion (“lifting up”) of Jesus. The Johannine theme of the exaltation of Christ being his crucifixion occurs in Chapter 1, too. The crucifixion of Jesus was the gate of Heaven, according to John 1:43.
That gate is sufficiently narrow to exclude those who exclude themselves. Those who carry with them the luggage of bribery cannot enter. Those who haul along the bags of exploitation of the poor cannot pass. No, those who exclude themselves have done injustice to God and Jesus while exploiting “the least of these.” Those who have excluded themselves must eat the fruit of their own way.
C. S. Lewis wrote that the doors to Hell are locked from the inside.
Think about that, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS (TRANSFERRED)
THE FEAST OF JOHN BURNETT MORRIS, SR., EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND WITNESS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PHILIPP HEINRICH MOLTHER, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, BISHOP, COMPOSER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF SAINT THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, AND MARTYR, 1170
THE FEAST OF THOMAS COTTERRILL ENGLISH PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND LITURGIST
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Adapted from this post:
https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2020/12/29/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-d-humes/
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Above: King Josiah of Judah
Image in the Public Domain
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For the First Sunday Before Lent, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth;
send thy Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love,
the very bond of peace and of all virtues,
without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee.
Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 141
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2 Kings 22:8-20
Psalms 15 and 16
Romans 5:13-25
Luke 7:1-16
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God calls Jews. God calls Gentiles, too. God also cares deeply about how we humans treat each other. Orthopraxy is the practical side of orthodoxy. Deeds reveal creeds. Faith without works is dead.
I grew up around an evangelical subculture in small towns and communities in rural Georgia, mostly in the southern part of the state. The cultural milieu was primarily racist, provincial, conservative, conformist, homophobic, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-Roman Catholic. I grew up United Methodist in a subculture the Southern Baptist Convention defined. My latent Roman Catholic tendencies ceased to be latent after a while. My intellectualism and acceptance of science added to my marginalization. My rebelliousness in the face of continuous pressures to conform increased. Fortunately, my parents raised me to think for myself. They also raised me to oppose racism.
So, O reader, know that I am a churchy person with a sometimes jaundiced view of the institutional church. I recall examples of life-long church members protesting they were not racists as they opposed funding a denominational scholarship fund for African-American college students. I know the pressures to fit into an ecclesiastical subculture in violation of my personality type. I know the feeling of having people indicate that my preference for contemplative prayer over oral, extemporaneous prayer (which they preferred) is inherently defective. A difference is not necessarily a defect. I know that the church has shot many of its own, so to speak. It has shot me, so to speak.
Deeds reveal creeds. Works reveal active faith. God has created an astounding variety of personalities. Each of us has received spiritual gifts. All of them are essential. So are all the personalities.
Deeds reveal creeds. Do we believe that diversity is crucial in the church? Do we believe that there are no outsiders and marginal characters in Christ? Some of us do. Others do not, based on their deeds.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 13, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL JOHNSON, “THE GREAT MORALIST”
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN FURCHTEGOTT GELLERT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER, EDUCATOR, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ELLA J. BAKER, WITNESS FOR CIVIIL RIGHTS
THE FEAST OF PAUL SPERATUS, GERMAN LUTHERAN BISHOP, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF PIERSON PARKER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, EPISCOPAL PRIEST, AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
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Above: Part of the Title Page of Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977)
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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For the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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Almighty God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright,
grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers,
and carry us through all temptations;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 131
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Job 38:1-21
Psalm 119:1-16
Romans 4:16-25
Luke 14:25-35
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Contrary to a widespread misconception, Second Temple Judaism was not a legalistic religion with works-based salvation. No, it was a religion that taught covenantal nomism–salvation by grace (birth into the covenant) and self-exclusion from that covenant by habitually defying the ethical obligations of God’s law. E. P. Sanders cited Second Temple Jewish writings to make that case in Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977).
Read Psalm 119:1-16 again, O reader. Read it as saying what it does, not what theology with a Protestant Reformation hangover thinks the text says. Nothing in Psalm 119 contradicts Christianity.
St. Paul’s critique of Second Temple Judaism was that it lacked Jesus, not that it was legalistic, with works-based righteousness.
God, who has been creating the natural world, has also created salvation and free will. Salvation is of divine origin. Damnation is of human origin. As C. S. Lewis wrote, the doors of Hell are locked from the inside.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 8, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE TENTH DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF WALTER CISZEK, ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONARY PRIERST AND POLITICAL PRISONER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATUS OF LUXEUIL AND ROMARIC OF LUXEUIL, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONKS AND ABBOTS
THE FEAST OF ERIK CHRISTIAN HOFF, NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN COMPOSER AND ORGANIST
THE FEAST OF JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER, U.S. QUAKER ABOLITIONIST, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIN SHKURTI, ALBANIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1969
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Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
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For the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year 2
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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)
Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)
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Stir up, O Lord, we beseech thee, thy power, and come,
with great might to succor us, that by the help of thy grace
whatsoever is hindered by our sins may be speedily accomplished,
through thy mercy and satisfaction;
who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
ever, One God, world without end. Amen.
—The Book of Worship (1947), 111
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Isaiah 2:2-5
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:1-21
John 1:1-18
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The apocalyptic hope of the first three readings remains unfulfilled. The darkness remains ignorant of the light. The darkness cannot overcome the light, however.
This series of four Advent devotions has been consistent in repeating the themes of the kingship, reliability, and sovereignty of God, as well as the balance of divine judgment and mercy. After having written thousands of devotional posts, including four in longhand in two days, I find myself at a loss for much else to contribute in this post.
I do challenge you, O reader, to complete one task, however. I challenge you to read or to listen to someone read John 1:1-18 aloud. Use a translation that renders that glorious prose poetry majestically. (Some translations butcher the Prologue to the Gospel of John both stylistically and theologically. I am pointing my finger at you, The Message!) Really listen. Then ponder those glorious verses. May the Holy Spirit lead you to do what you should afterward. I am not qualified to say what that may be. I assure you, however, that healthy faith is active. Deeds reveal creeds.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 30, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE SECOND DAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREW THE APOSTLE, MARTYR
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Above: Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
Image in the Public Domain
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READING TOBIT
PART V
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Tobit 4:1-20
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Samuel L. Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain, explained that the difference between reality and fiction is that people expect fiction to make sense. Often, as cliché tells us, reality is stranger than fiction. After all, solar-powered submarines exist.
The Book of Tobit is a work of fiction, of course. Yet its main human characters are realistic. I can believe that, in real life, one may suddenly remember, after years of dependency, that a vast sum of money far away exists. Human memory works in odd ways much of the time.
Tobit’s instructions to his son, Tobias, reflect piety. We read again of the importance of proper burial and of giving alms to the poor. Other morals pertain to honoring parents, keeping divine commandments, avoiding fornication, choosing a Jewish wife, paying workers promptly, keeping the Golden Rule, not getting drunk, and praising and trusting God.
The importance of alms in the Book of Tobit is about more than helping the poor. Jews living in exile and the diaspora lacked the option of offering sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem. Almsgiving substituted for offering sacrifices.
A brief survey of almsgiving in the Bible follows:
- One should give alms willingly. (Deuteronomy 16:17; Tobit 4:8, 16; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 18:15-18)
- One should give alms in proportion to one’s income. (Deuteronomy 15:14; Deuteronomy 16:17; Tobit 4:8, 16; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 35:9-10)
- One should restrict alms to within one’s community. (Deuteronomy 14:29; Deuteronomy 16:14; Tobit 4:17; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 12:1-7)
- Almsgiving saves the giver from sins. (Tobit 12:9-10; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 3:30-31)
- Almsgiving is a worthy offering before God. (Tobit 4:11; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 34:18-35:4)
- Almsgiving saves the giver from premature death and destruction. (Tobit 4:10; Tobit 12:9; Tobit 14:10; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 29:10-13; Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 40:17, 24)
The Bible places a priority on works as an expression of faith. May we leave Reformation theology of faith and works out of this, for the time being, at least. May we admit that Second Temple-era Jews were not Lutherans. And may we remember Matthew 25:40:
And the king will say to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.
—The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
In other words, such works matter to God. We cannot love God, whom we cannot see, if we do not love people, whom we can see.
The principle is clear. The execution is not always obvious, however. It depends on circumstances, such as who one is, where one is, and when one is. For example, should one give money to a panhandler standing on a street corner? Or should one instead give those funds to organizations that help the poor and homeless? I favor a local charity that helps battered women. In my community, churches pool their funds to help the poor into a central distribution point. Wisdom in almsgiving is essential. May we–collectively and individually–be wise in this way more often than we are foolish.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 29, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST DAY OF ADVENT: THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK COOK ATKINSON, ANGLICAN CHURCH ORGANIST AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF JENNETTE THRELFALL, ENGLISH HYMN WRITER
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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